The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Engineman Second Class William T. Vail, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in charge of the Armed Guard of the U.S.S. GEORGE G. HENRY, especially for heroic and excellent behavior, coolness, skill, and bravery under gunfire of a German submarine when the GEORGE G. HENRY was attacked on 29 September 1918. One shell entered the engine room, exploded and carried away a steam exhaust line, broke the gauge glasses on lubrication oil tanks and precipitated burning oil around the engine room. Engineman Second Class Vail, climbing an almost red hot ladder, closed the gauge valves, and was thereby seriously burned and scalded.